Innovative city scaffolding firm save man hours and materials at new Boroughmuir

AN Edinburgh-based scaffolding firm has used an unusual “rolling” design on the £35 million Boroughmuir High School project.

Established in 2014, City Access Scaffolding (CSA) has grown rapidly, and earlier this year was awarded its biggest project to date as part of the construction of the school.

Having been awarded the tender to provide all scaffolding on-site by main contractor O’Hare & McGovern Ltd, the CAS team began work to identify the most efficient and effective way to deliver the products for the project.

A feature of the school’s design is the atrium in the heart of the building.

To allow construction of the roof, a birdcage scaffold design would typically be used, but at Boroughmuir some 13,000 sq m of scaffolding weighing 56 tonnes would be required.

CAS developed a design for an innovative and effective rolling scaffold.

This new product – the first of its kind in Scotland – vastly reduced scaffold build and dismantle time with an estimated 1500 man hours saved on erection of the scaffolding. It is also designed so weight transfers to the roof slab instead of the atrium floor, saving time in building and reducing costs.

Bosses say the design has also led to a huge reduction in the amount of scaffolding required – only nine tonnes versus the 56 tonnes required by the traditional design. And the company says its innovative scaffolding saved £60,000 in project costs.

Mick Fearnon, project manager at O’Hare & McGovern Ltd says, “We are delighted at the rolling scaffold’s design and the difference it’s made to this major project. The CAS team provided a very innovative design that had never crossed our minds. The scaffold is safe and easy to use and has helped us to make considerable savings in cost and build time.”

Kirsty Allan, business development director at CAS said: “We are very proud of this innovation and the huge impact it has had on the build time and on our client’s costs.

“Although we are a relatively new company, our leadership team have over 35 years’ experience in the sector, which they applied in order to develop this effective solution. It’s very rewarding to make such a contribution to the project, and we’re excited about the potential it has for the future.”